Apparatus for treating heels



Oct. 17, 1933. L.. J. BAzzoNl 1,930,579

APPARATUS FOR TREATING HEELS Filed May 23. 1932 WEA/TUF@ mi i Patented ct. 17, 1933 APPARATUS FOR TREATING HEELS Lewis J. Bazzani, Swampscctt, Mass., assigner to United Shoe llllachinery Corporation, Paterson,

N. J., a corporation of New `lersey Application May 2S, 1932. Serial No. 613,009

16 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating heels, and more particularly to apparatus for conditioning and holding adhesive-coated heels preparatory to the application thereto of 5 covering material.

An important field of use of theinvention is in connection with the operation of applying leather or textile covers to wood heels which have been previously coated with an adhesive requiring the adhesive to be heated or otherwise conditioned before the application of the cover. For purposes of illustration, my invention will be described in its application to this field.

In the manufacture of Wood heels, it is the practice to coat the curved surface of the heels with a glue or cement which is allowed to harden and temporarily lose its adhesive or tacky qualities so that the coated heels may he stored and handled as staple articles of manufacture. The 2o coated heels are drawn from stock in accordance with the requirements of the manufacturer and are covered with sheet material selected to blend with the upper of the shoes upon which the heels are to he used. ln other Words, the manufacture of the wood heels is carried on as far as possible toward the inished state in which they areto be used, leaving the manufacturer free to the last minute to cover his stock heels with that precise material which may be called for by his current so orders. The present invention is designed to facilitate this procedure by providing apparatus for handling and conditioning the adhesivecoated heels so that the cover may be applied conveniently and expeditiously in finishing the .r heels for attachment.

Certain types of glue and cement are conditioned or rendered tacky by being subjected to heat, while others equire heat and moisture and still others a liquid solvent. In one aspect, my

lo invention comprises a conditioning 'chamber through which coated heels may be conveyed one after another, in combination with. means for `iolding a conditioned heel in a position accessible and convenient for the application of the covering after it has been removed from the chamber. By locating the heel holding means adjacent to the outlet or delivery end of the chamber, the treated heel may oe made available to the operator with little or no delay, thus avoiding drying out or cooling of the tacky coating. The covering may, accordingly, be applied under the most advantageous conditions and a smooth and permanent bond secured.

An important feature of my invention consists in a conveyor provided with a plurality of holders ill for moving one heel after another through the conditioning chamber and presenting the heels as treated to a jack or other holding means, whereby the heel is presented in position to receive its covering. Preferably and as herein shown, the conveyor is so designed that-the operator is entirely relieved of the necessity of touching the treated heel in positioning it and is required only to apply the covering material to the tacky surface of the heel and smooth it into conformity with its contour. The illustrated apparatus is adapted to condition adhesive-coated heels by the application of heat thereto. Preferably, and as herein illustrated, electrical heating means is utilized to supply heat to the conditioning chamber through which coated heelsare conveyed.

For compactness in construction and convenience in use, I prefer to employ a conditioning chamber of segmental shape, bringing the outlet and inlet ends thereof into opposed relation upon the saine side of the apparatus, so that the operator may conveniently feed an untreated heel in at one end and operate in the same vicinity v upon a treated heel presented to receive its covering. The segmental form of heater also permits the employment of a rotary heel conveyor which may be arranged for rotation about an axis concentric to the chamber or substantially so, and may be operated to advance the heels one after another into and through the conditioning chamber. Preferably, the heel holding elements of the conveyor are so designed that the treated heels thereon may be presented directly to the jack or other holding means and the heels withdrawn from the conveyor in the continued Inovement of the latter.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. i is a view in perspective of theapparatus, certain parts being broken away; and

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of one of the heel 100 holders and adjacent parts.

The apparatus is herein shown as mounted upon a bench i0, supported at a convenient height upon legs l2 and covered with a sheet of asbestos lll or other refractory material. The conditioning chamber 16 is segmental in shape, eX- tending approximately 276 in circumference and terminating at either end in a radially-disposed door. The bottom 20 of the conditioning chamber is supported some distance above the covered face of the bench and is separated from the body of the chamber along its lower edge by a slot 22, into which extend the arms of the conveyor, as will presently appear. The conditioning chamber 16 is rectangular in cross section and constitutes in effect an elongated curved passage closed except for the slot 22 at its inner lower edge. The chamber is heated and maintained at a high temperature by electrical heating units 18 secured to its bottom and connected to a service line through leads 19. Y

The left-hand end of the conditioning or heating chamber 16, as seen in Fig. 1, is provided with an inlet door 24 which is arranged to swing freely inwardly about a hinge pin 26. A torsion spring' 28 surrounding the pin tends always to swing the door 24 outwardly to its closed position, as determined by a stop 22 secured to the bottom of the chamber. The outlet or discharge end oi the chamber is provided with a door 30, arranged to swing upon a hinge pin 32 and maintained by a torsion spring 34, normally in its closed position. The inlet door 24 may be displaced inwardly to admit a heel to the conditioning chamber by pressure against it, and will close of itself as soon as the heel has been carried beyond it. Similarly, the outlet door 30 may be swung outwardly to permit the exit of a treated heel and will also reassume its closed position as soon as released.

The rotary heel conveyor is mounted concentrically with respect to the segmental chamber 16. To this end, a stationary hub or tubular socket 40 having a flange 42 is secured to the top of the bench 10 substantially in alignment with the axis of the chamber 16. A rotary sleeve 44 is journaled upon the hub 46 has secured Vto its upper face three radially-disposed arms 46, located opposite to and at the same level with the slot 22 of the chamber 16.

Each of the conveyor arms 46 constitutes a heel holder and its construction is best shown in Fig. 2. Each arm 46 is long enough to pass through the slot 22 and within the chamber 16 is provided with an upwardly-inclined section 4'? which, in turn, merges into a work plate 46. At its outer edge, each work plate is provided with an upturned flange 49, adapted to engage the breast edge of the heel-seat or" a heel. A curved retaining spring 50, secured to the work plate, is arranged to extend across the rear curved face of the heel and cooperates with the iiange 49 to retain the heel in position upon the work plate 48. The center part of the work plate is cut out from its rear edge to permit the passage of the jack spindle, as will presently appear.

Adjustably mounted in the stationary hub 40 is a curved or gooseneck spindle 54. The spindle 54 is disposed substantially symmetrically between the ends of the conditioning chamber 16 and its outer end serves as a tread rest, determining adjustably the vertical position of the conditioned heel after it has been delivered by the conveyor.

The heel jack comprises a tubular hub 56 having a flange 58 which is secured to the bench 10 in axial alignment with and beneath the tread rest. A spindle 60 is mounted in the hub 56, being limited in its vertical movement and held against rotation by a pin and slot connection with the hub 56. At its lower end, the spindle 60 is provided with a head 62 and between this and the lower face of the bench 10 is provided a compression spring 61, tending to maintain the spindle at all times in its lowermost position. The upper end of the spindle 60 is slightly inclined toward the rear and provided with parallel spurs or ribs adapted to sink into the heel-seat surace of the heel and hold it iirmly in cooperation with the tread rest.

The spindle 60 may be elevated by any suitable mechanism under the control of the operator. As herein shown, a treadle lever 64 is mounted a bracket 66 secured to the-lower iace of the bench 10. This is connected at its rear end to a treadle rod 68 which may be depressed by a treadle 70 but which is normally maintained in elevated position by a tension spring '.72.

In Fig. 1, the apparatus is represented as having the heels 66, 61 and 62 upon the conveyor within or adjacent to the conditioning chamber 16 and the heel 83 as positioned in the jack. In

using the illustrated machine, the operator will supply a dry heel to one of the work plates 43 when the latter occupies a position at the left of the jack, that is to say, between the jack and the inlet door 24. The heel is positioned by pressing it rearwardly against the spring 5() until its heel-seat edge engages the flange 49,'whereupon it is yieldingly maintained in place in the conveyor until forcibly dislodged. Having positioned one heel, the operator rotates the conveyor through two steps of approximately 12D, presenting a new heel to each heel holder as the latter is brought into position. In the continued rotation of the conveyor, heel 8S, which we will assume was iirst presented, emerges from the heating chamber through the outlet door 30 and is positioned by further movement of the operator in alignment with the spindle 6i) oi the jack. The operator thereupon depresses the treadle 76, elevating the spindle 6G through the aperture in the work plate 46 into engagement with the heel-seat surface of the heel. This action forces the heel upwardly into clamping enragement with a stationary tread rest, holding the heel rigidly in substantially vertical position with its breast face toward the operator. 1n the continued movement of the conveyor, the heel is drawn out from between the frange 46 and the spring 50 and is left suspended with its curved face entirely rree and unobstructed. The conditioning action of the heating chamber 16 upon the coated heel has rendered its surface tacky and adhesive. The operator thereupon proceeds to supply a cover 84, locating it carefully with the proper margin, pressing it rmly into contact with the curved surface of the heel and smoothing it thereon. When the treadle 70v is released, the spindle 60 is at once moved downwardly and the heel released from the apparatus so that it may be set to one side and dried preparatory to attachment.

As already stated, various kinds of glue or cement may be used. 1lor certain cements, temperatures in the conditioning chamber ranging ik from 210 to 260 F. have been found satisfactory properly to condition the heels in a period of 45 seconds. The character of the cement in some instances will be determined by the character of the heel cover. For example, a cement'which is best adapted for a cover of thin kid leather might not prove best adapted for a cover of backed metallic cloth. While I have shown the conditioning chamber 16 as supplied only with heating means, it will be understood that the employment of the apparatus is contemplated for whatever type of conditioning treatment may be called for by the heels required for the work in hand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire; to secure by Letters Patent is:

- 1. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a conditioning chamber, means for conveying heels one after another through said chamber, and means for holding a conditioned heel in an accessible position after it has left said chamber.

2. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising an' elongated conditioning chamber, means for moving one heel after another through said chamber out of contact with its walls, and a heel holding device for independently positioning each heated heel as it is removed from the chamber.

3. Apparatus for `treating heels, comprising means providing a heated zone, a conveyor for conveying heels through said zone, and mechanically-operated means for removing a heated heel from said conveyor as it emerges from the heated zone and positioning it for covering.

fl. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising means providing a heated zone, a conveyor for transporting one heel after another through and out of said zone, and mechanically-operated means for engaging each heated heel by its heelseat and tread faces and holding it stationary Y while the conveyor relinquishes it.

5. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising means providing a heated zone, a conveyor constructed and arranged to hold a plurality of heels in spaced relation and movable to transport the heels successively through the heated zone, and a jack for engaging a heel in the conveyor after it has emerged from the heated zone, the conveyor being arranged to release said heel in its further movement -relatively to the jack.

G. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a heating chamber having a longitudinal slot therein, a conveyor having arms movable along said slot and heel holders disposed Within the chamber, and a jack operative to remove heated heels from the holders one after another outside the chamber.

7. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a heating chamber having inlet and outlet ends, a heel carrier movable to transport heels successively through said chamber, and a jack located adjacent to the outlet end of the chamber for holding a heel as it is delivered in position to be covered.

8. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a elongated heating chamber having inlet and outlet doors normally closing its ends, a conveyor having separate heel holders movable through said chamber and arranged to displace said doors automatically to permit the presentation of successive heels to the chamber, and means for positioning a heel after it has passed the outlet door.

9. Apparatus for treating heels, comprisingv a segmental heating chamber, a concentrically ,y

mounted conveyor for transporting heels successively through the chamber and having holders arranged to be positioned successively near one end of the chamber for loading, and a jack located near the other end of the chamber.

l0. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a rotatable conveyor having a plurality of radially disposed heel holders, a segmental heating chamber disposed concentrically with respect to the axis of the conveyor, and a jack located in line with the circular path of said holders.

11. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a rotatable conveyor having radial arms each constituting a heel holder, a segmental heating chamber concentric with the axis of said conveyor and arranged to enclose said heel holders, and a jack to which the holders present successive heels.

12. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a segmental conditioning chamber having its ends facing each other, a jack located between said ends, and a conveyor movable to carry a heel in at one end of the chamber and out from the other end and to said jack.

13. Apparatus for treating coated heels, comprising a rotary conveyor arranged to receive a plurality of inverted heels with their breast faces outwardly directed, means for conditioning the curved faces of the heels during the rotation of the conveyor, and a jack to hold a conditioned heel firmly Ainposition for covering.

14. Apparatus for treating coated heels, comprising a rotary carrier having a plurality of holders for heels disposed with their rear curved surfaces inwardly directed, a heel jack located in advance of the carrier, and means for conditioning the curved surfaces of the heels while in motion in the carrier toward said jack.

15. Apparatus for treating coated heels, cornprising a treadle-operated jack, an overhanging tread rest located above the jack, a rotary carrier mounted to swing about an axis disposed at the rear of said jack and having a plurality of radial arms each supplying a holder for an inverted heel arranged to be moved between said jack and tread rest, a curved chamber arranged to enclose heels in said holders during part of their travel toward the jack, and means for heating said chamber.

16. Apparatus for treating heels, comprising a conditioning chamber, electrical heating means adapted and arranged to maintain said chamber at a high temperature, means for conveying heels one after another through said chamber and ssly separate means for positioning the conditioned 13@ heels accessibly to the operator for the applica-` tion of heel coverings after the passage of the heels through the conditioning chamber.

LEWIS J. BAZZON'I. 

